Impact of Crumbled Pelleted Starter Feed and Alfalfa Inclusion on Feed Intake, Growth, and Rumen Microbiota in Young Lambs

作者：Qihao Gao, Guoxiu Wang, Zhanyu Chen, Jiale Jia, Haoyu Xu, Yunfei Xu, Zhen Liu, Liyun Liu, Baosheng Li, Chong Li · 发表于：Preprints.org · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.20944/preprints202501.0024.v1 · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology

Objective: Pelleted feed offers several advantages in animal production, yet its hardness can limit intake for young lambs with underdeveloped teeth and digestive systems, particularly when alfalfa inclusion and high compression ratios for small-diameter pellets are involved. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of removing alfalfa from starter feed or post-pelleting crumbling on feed intake, growth, nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, and microbial composition in lambs. We hypothesized that crumbling pelleted feed could reduce hardness, thereby increasing intake and enhancing performance.Methods: A total of 117 healthy, 7-day-old Hu lambs (4.02 ± 0.94 kg) were allocated to three groups: (1) a pelleted starter with alfalfa (CON), (2) a non-alfalfa pelleted starter (NA), and (3) a crumbled starter with alfalfa (CA).Results: The CA group exhibited significantly lower pellet hardness compared to CON and NA (P < 0.05), while NA had higher starch gelatinization (P < 0.05). CA notably increased feed intake, particularly after day 21 (P < 0.05), and achieved the highest overall intake and average daily gain (ADG) from days 7–49. Feed type and feed type-sex interactions significantly affected NDF and ADF digestibility, with NA and CA outperforming CON (P < 0.05). Rumen microbiota diversity was influenced by feed composition more than pellet form, with alfalfa inclusion affecting a greater number of microbial genera. Crumbling increased the abun...